With the return of daylight savings this weekend, Aucklanders may be tempted to unleash their hoses and get cracking on spring cleaning. But Watercare would like to remind people that mandatory water restrictions are still in place, banning the use of hoses and water blasting devices, as the city’s water supply recovers from the record-breaking drought.

Chief executive Raveen Jaduram says Auckland’s water consumption traditionally spikes when daylight savings hours begin.

“In the past, we’ve seen water use jump overnight when daylight savings come in, particularly when it coincides with warm sunny weather.

“Normally water use goes up because more people are using their hose to water their garden or wash down their houses in a bit of spring cleaning. However, we still have water restrictions in place so we’re asking Aucklanders not to pull out their hoses just yet.”

He says Aucklanders have been making an outstanding effort to reduce their water usage since restrictions were implemented in May, with over four billion litres saved. The current seven-day rolling average is 388 million litres a day, which is well within the target of 405 million litres a day or less.

“As a city working together, we have done an amazing job so far and I’m confident we can continue to meet these targets.”

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